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An injury-time penalty from Robbie Keane denied Arsenal victory
in the North London derby at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon
but the draw was good enough for Arsène Wenger's side to win
the Premiership title.

Chelsea's defeat at Newcastle just before kick-off meant the
visitors began this game nine points ahead of the Stamford Bridge
side and needed only a draw to secure the Club's 13th League
title.

After Patrick Vieira slid Arsenal ahead after only three minutes
the result was never in doubt. Ten minutes before the break, Robert
Pires steered home a second.

However Tottenham got back into the game with Jamie
Redknapp's shot in the 61st minute and in the dying seconds
referee Mark Halsey awarded a penalty from which Keane struck home
the equaliser.

It was a disappointing end for Arsenal who had been in charge
for much of the game. But the players lifted themselves quickly and
did a jig of victory at the final whistle.

Before the game the manager had said that he'd have
virtually his entire squad available. In the end, he omitted
Freddie Ljungberg who was still suffering from some pain after
breaking two bones in his hand against Manchester United in the FA
Cup Semi-Final.

However Ashley Cole was fit again after missing the 5-0 victory
over Leeds with an ankle injury. That victory had been nine days
earlier and, in that time, second-place Chelsea had picked up just
one point from two games. The first had been a 0-0 draw with
Everton at Stamford Bridge last Saturday, the other a 2-1 defeat at
Newcastle in a game that ended just minutes before this one
began.

That result was celebrated long and loud by those Arsenal fans
who had got into White Hart Lane early. They knew Wenger's men
now needed only to avoid defeat to claim the title and, going into
this fixture, they had gone 33 Premiership games without suffering
such a reverse. The cards were stacked in Arsenal's favour.

They were in a pile Everest-tall three minutes in. A Tottenham
corner went astray and Thierry Henry collected the ball just
outside the area. The Frenchman took it in his stride and fed a
clever pass inside the backtracking Stephen Kelly perfectly into
the path of the galloping Bergkamp. With typical technique, the
Dutchman looked up and spotted Vieira racing into the area. The
captain slid in his only his second goal of the season.

The perfect start.

With the comfort of that early lead, Arsenal started to turn on
the style. Bergkamp escaped on the left and just failed to turn
back a cross for the waiting Henry. The 34-year-old then nearly did
it himself, running through and forcing Kasey Keller into a low
save.

Tottenham, who had surprisingly left Jermain Defoe on the bench,
were playing like a team low on confidence. They were organised and
committed but could neither go through the defence nor get around
the side of it. Their best opportunities in the opening half hour
were Jamie Redknapp's low, skimming free-kick and Mauricio
Taricco's speculative effort that ended up on the top of the
net.

However you sensed Arsenal were still in control and merely
waiting for their next opportunity. It arrived 10 minutes before
the break.

Bergkamp's clever ball sent Vieira into space on the left of
the penalty area. He hooked the ball back for Pires to sidefoot
home his 19th goal of the season. It was his 14th Premiership
strike.

Tottenham replied with Simon Davies sending a dipping shot over
the bar and Johnnie Jackson's cross-cum-shot forcing Jens
Lehmann into a tip over the bar.

But, two minutes before the break, Henry - who had been quiet in
front of goal - raced clear on the right of the area and thumped a
low that Keller did well to hang onto.

Tottenham brought on Defoe after the interval - they had little
choice. The change helped them push back Arsenal straight after
restart.

But that gave the visitors space in which to break. Henry nearly
put in Pires and Cole then forced Keller into a fine save at the
near post.

So it seemed that Arsenal had drawn Tottenham's sting when
the home got back into the game in the 61st minute.

Defoe advanced down the left and touched the ball inside for
Michael Brown. In turn, he slipped a short pass to Redknapp who
thumped a 25-yard into the corner of Lehmann's net.

It was game on again.

However Henry should have slammed the door shut once again soon
afterwards. Put through by Pires in the 72nd minute he was
one-on-one with Keller, he lifted his shot over the keeper but wide
of the post.

In response, Redknapp cracked a free-kick just over but then, in
the 78th minute, Pires smacked a shot against the bar when he too
should have scored.

It seemed the Arsenal were going to draw out the tension until
the very end. Jose Antonio Reyes even blocked Henry's
goal-bound shot just minutes after replacing Bergkamp.

Defoe nearly grabbed an equaliser in the final minute of normal
time but Lehmann punched over his dipping free-kick from just under
the bar.

From the corner, Lehmann tangled with Keane. Both players were
booked and, eventually, referee Halsey awarded a penalty. Keane
took it and sent it high to the left of the German keeper.

So a slight downside to the victory but, make no mistake, this
was still an historic day.

When the Arsenal players go into training at London Colney every
morning, they always pass an honours board. It is a large stone
plaque to the left of the entrance.

Cut into the hard, black stone are the words "League
Championship" followed by the years 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935,
1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998 and 2002.

They will be chiselling in the number "2004" in a few
weeks.

Arsenal did not beat Tottenham this afternoon but the draw was
good enough to set in stone another League title.

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